# Humidor Seasoning Issues



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi All,

I'm having issues getting my humidor to season properly. I purchased a 100-count Alfred Dunhill humidor a few months ago and came to the forums for help on how to season it properly. Received a ton of great advice (which I'm extremely grateful for), and got things set up. But this thing won't (seem to) season. On to the facts:

- I live in Alberta. Quite dry here.

- My humidor came with the Dunhill Humidity Control System (floral foam with water/PG solution, what a pain). Replaced with Boveda humidity packs with the four pack cedar holder mounted to the inside of the humidor lid.

- Placed four 84% seasoning packs in humidor for almost three weeks to season (would have been two weeks only but was out of town). When I returned seasoning packs were basically wafers.

- Placed four 72% packs (with no cigars, dividers only) for a few days to see if RH would hold. RH level began to slowly decrease.

- Moved to four 75% packs (still no cigars), RH level still slowly decreasing.

- At this point I thought maybe opening the humidor a few times during the seasoning process may have affected the seasoning. So I decided to do a second pass. Placed four 84% packs in the holder (only things in the humidor besides the packs and their holder was two cedar dividers and a hygrometer).

- As of today, the 84% packs have been in the humidor for 14 days today. Humidor wasn't opened a single time during this second round. Packs are starting to crystalize but the hygrometer reads 61%.

- Temperature where the humidor is stored (closet) ranges between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius. The closet receives no direct sunlight.

- Hygrometer was calibrated before it was placed in humidor and was bang on. In fact it was a percentage point higher than it should have been.

- Just tried the dollar test, works well. Difficult to pull the bill out and definitely drags the humidor around when you try.

I've done some research and even contacted the distributor of Dunhill in the US - they advised wiping down the interior of the humidor to activate it. However, this runs contrary to what I was told by the guy at the shop where I bought the humidor, as well as the opinions of gentlemen on these forums whose knowledge I hold in high regard (they really seem to know their stuff).

As this second seasoning period is at an end, what should I do? I've had the humidor for a few months now, so I don't think I'd have much hope returning or exchanging it (though the thing hasn't hosted any cigars as of yet). It's a beautiful (not to mention expensive) box and I'd really like to get it going.

Apologies for the long winded post, I appreciate you taking the time to read it. Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated!

Best Regards
Brad


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

If the guy said wipe it down then go for it. ..very VERY lightly with d.w...do it today, wait a couple days then repeat if necessary. Again I can't emphasize this enough. VERY LIGHTLY W DW.


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

Damn ... you didn't do one thing wrong ...

Well, this is going to sound odd coming from me but from what I can tell, there is not much to lose as the humidor is not functioning as a humidor anyway. I did this with one of mine just as a test, to do everything wrong and see where it landed me. So far so good. This was safe for me to do because none of the Spanish cedar had been glued into the outer box yet and thusly easy to fix any problems, rip it out, mill some more, put it in ... try again. Do I recommend this for any other humidor on the planet ... like an expensive one such as this? Oh Hell no ... this is a full frontal infantry assault requesting a "danger close" fire mission ;-).

1. Wipe it down ... moderately ... use DW as @UBC03 recommended. Here is the trick, wait for the SC to "dry" before going forward. IOW, do not close the lid with any moisture visible on the SC. It'll still be there, trust me.

2. Find a piece of Tupperware that is 3/4 the area of the humidor's bottom and fill it 1/3 full of DW (shoot for about an inch). Cut up a couple of sponges so that they set on their edges and wick water up into them, thusly increasing the surface area releasing humidity.

3. Place your calibrated hygrometer into the box.

4. Close the lid.

5. If that doesn't put the humidity level around 82% Rh then this thing is a dry brick incapable of sustaining a humidity level to save its life.

If so, write a complaint to the company giving them all of the details you just gave to us (leave this part out!). When they see the well laid out plan you used to season their humidor you just might get lucky and have them send you another ... just never know.

The point being is to not leave it like this for two weeks, maybe three days ... shock it, but just see if you can get the Rh up to a seasoning level. If you can, you just might be able to go back to the 84% Boveda plan and allow the process to begin again, gently.

*Did I just post this ... please tell me I didn't ;-).*


----------



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi All,

As per suggestions, here's the setup I've got going. Going to leave it closed for three days and see where we're at...thanks for the help @UBC03 and @WinsorHumidors! Excited to see how it turns out!

Best Regards


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

I love the color coordination and symmetry!

C. T.


----------



## Ranger0282 (Mar 12, 2016)

Does anyone wanna hear how I took the spray nozzle from the sink and spayed the inside of my humidor that had been sitting in the back closet for 10 plus years?
Does anyone wanna take a wild guess on why I just bought a NEW humidor? From @WinsorHumidors of course... I will be giving my Honest opinion when it arrives. I will ether have a new friend or a new enemy.....My honest opinions are exactly that..... Got my fingers and toes crossed and am drilling the postal guy everyday asking where it is  Christmas Is A Coming


----------



## bigronbee (Mar 17, 2016)

The best thing I did with my humidor (my first) was put the whole thing in a tupperdore for a month.

It let me hold cigars in the tupperdore and season my humidor at the same time. Humidor performed much better after (even though New England winter proved that mine isn't worth much in a dry climate).

Plus I learned that tupperdores are mindlessly simple and cheap. Oh, and buying the ambient ws-10 so I didn't have to open it up to check rh every five minutes.


----------



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

Hi All,

Wanted to offer an update. I just opened the humidor for the first time in approximately 39 hours, didn't seem like much water had been absorbed (looked to be just about the same amount as was originally in the tray three days ago), but the RH was 77%.

Thoughts?


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

Nice. .glad to see is workin out finally.


----------



## n0s4atu (Apr 24, 2016)

Have to say the sponge in Tupperware trick along with about a week's worth of patience paid off with mine. It slowly crept up and finally hit 85%. Looks like you're on your way there too. Mine's filled and ready to rock now.


----------



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

BInAB said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Wanted to offer an update. I just opened the humidor for the first time in approximately 39 hours, didn't seem like much water had been absorbed (looked to be just about the same amount as was originally in the tray three days ago), but the RH was 77%.
> 
> Thoughts?


Hi All,

Another update: opened the humidor after another day's waiting and the RH has dropped a single percentage point to 76%. Water level appears to be unchanged (as it looked yesterday). Should I just continue to be patient? 
@WinsorHumidors you'd suggested just a brief shock period, so should I just check daily until it's at 84%, then switch to the boveda seasoning packets again?


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

I'd now throw in the recommended number of Boveda seasoning packets and remove the sponge setup. Let the Bovedas take over a more gentle humidification / seasoning process. Give it three more days and then take a quick peek. If the humidity continues to climb towards 80 then leave it for another 11 days you should be good to go. HTH ... C. T.

Keep us posted.

PS: Don't keep lifting the lid everyday ... sorta defeats the purpose😎


----------



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

WinsorHumidors said:


> I'd now throw in the recommended number of Boveda seasoning packets and remove the sponge setup. Let the Bovedas take over a more gentle humidification / seasoning process. Give it three more days and then take a quick peek. If the humidity continues to climb towards 80 then leave it for another 11 days you should be good to go. HTH ... C. T.
> 
> Keep us posted.
> 
> PS: Don't keep lifting the lid everyday ... sorta defeats the purpose&#128526;


Morning All,

I opened the lid to see what the RH was this morning and breathed a sigh of relief as the hygrometer read 82%. I've now removed the sponge setup and inserted four 84% packs into the cedar holder. Will update you in 14 days!

A special thanks to @UBC03 and @WinsorHumidors, as well as everyone else who offered input and advice to help me get this thing going! Greatly appreciated.


----------



## ras_oscar (Aug 30, 2015)

A new humidor is usually dry. Needs an initial shot of moisture absorbed into the wood, unless you purchase from one of the few manufacturers that deliver their humis pre-easoned. A few of the better manufacturers do. Most don't.


Another thing I found helpful: if you find the humidity dropping (as in the fall and winter when ambient humidity falls) and the lid has less whoosh" when closed, try lightly wiping the wood sealing lips on the lid and the base box with DW. It will add moisture and swell the lid wood members, improving the seal.


Like you, I spent most of my first winter with a humidor struggling to keep it above 65RH. Despite a bead unit in the lid, a shot glass of DW in the bottom and 2 gel tubes laying directly on the sticks, the cigars still tasted ash and dry, with a few wrappers beginning to crack. I finally saw the light. I made a small rack our of SC, placed all the humidity sources underneath it, (all the elements listed above plus 2 water bottle bottoms filled with beads) the sticks on top of it and the hygrometer sensor in the top tray. All humidity moving from the bottom to the sensor has to go through the sticks first. RH immediately shot up to 73. Sticks taste better. Removed shot glass and tubes. RH is slowly falling to the recommended 65-70%. ( I figure they need a few extra points for a week or so)


----------



## BInAB (Feb 26, 2016)

Good Morning All!

Well, I opened the humidor at 9:15 (exactly 14 days from the start of the seasoning process), hadn't opened it once during that time, and the RH read 67%. The 84% packs have started to harden, but nothing major. As I've been working with @WinsorHumidors and @UBC03 on this I'll pose the question directly - is this box finally ready to go?

I'm aware that humidors aren't airtight, so I'd expect some decrease in the RH, especially without any cigars inside to maintain equilibrium. But is a post-seasoning RH of 67% a reasonable number or is there still an issue? Just curious as to whether I should do some additional days testing with an empty box and 75% RH packs, or put my 69% RH packs in there, along with the sticks, and see how they're doing in a few days.

Thanks!


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

I'd say go for it. The sticks may raise the rh slightly ,then balance out. Just keep a close eye like you said. But if @WinsorHumidors has a different opinion I'd err to the side of the professional. He seasons every box he sends out, so he definitely has had more experience than most here.


----------



## ras_oscar (Aug 30, 2015)

Everybody has their own opinion based on personal experience. Here's mine. The sensors aren't reading the humidity of the humidor contents. They're reading the air. Each time you open the lid you're allowing conditioned air to escape and mix with ambient air. Once you close the lid the humidor needs to have sufficient moisture(or dryness) reserve in the humidity media to reestablish the desired humidity. The more air in the humidor (the less cigars) the harder the media needs to work to restore the desired balance. fill the humidor with as many cigars as you can without sacrificing air circulation.


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

Just finished seasoning a redwood humidor. When I ended the seasoning process with the 84% Rh packets, Rh was in the high 70% Rh range. Then, after replacing those 84s with 72s the percentage has settled into 70%. This tells me that this particular humidor would work well with 65% Rh Boveda packets. Each humidor is different, some retain humidity really well (the best being Tupperware where 65% Boveda means 65% Rh) others, not so much, you have to get a feel for your particular humidor.

65% Rh after seasoning, to me, seems a little low, but you just cannot tell. Throw the 72% Rh packets in and keep an eye on the humidity levels. Anything between 60% and 70% will work. For me, 65% is the ideal humidity level. If the 72% packets do not get the Rh to where you need it, up the Boveda packets to 75% Rh, this is one of the reasons they offer different humidity levels, as, humidors differ with regards to efficiency.


----------



## ras_oscar (Aug 30, 2015)

WinsorHumidors said:


> Just finished seasoning a redwood humidor.


Was it redwood lined with SC or all redwood? I had always assumed that SC was the only lining recommended for humidors. Of course, You're the expert at fabricating humis, not me.

I ask to learn, not criticize.


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

@ras_oscar

It is a redwood burl lined with Spanish cedar ...

C. T.


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

WinsorHumidors said:


> @ras_oscar
> 
> It is a redwood burl lined with Spanish cedar ...
> 
> C. T.


I'm not seeing any faces or the creatures in the veneer. Am I missing somethin?

Either way she's a beaut


----------



## WinsorHumidors (Feb 16, 2016)

@UBC03

Some veneers just don't lend themselves to faces or other images. Redwood is one of them.

Thanks for the compliment.

C. T.


----------



## UBC03 (Nov 18, 2015)

I stared at it for 10 mins. .I felt like Kevin Smith on Mall Rats.


----------



## MDinius (Apr 13, 2016)

I'm not expert but I think the freak burl usually has the faces in it.


----------

